


I Hope

by Shenandoah76209



Category: Glee
Genre: F/M, Past Quinn Fabray/Sam Evans, Past Rachel Berry/Finn Hudson, Sam Evans & Rachel Berry Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28773762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shenandoah76209/pseuds/Shenandoah76209
Summary: Slightly AU-Rachel asks Sam if he'll sing a duet with her in the hopes of getting to know him better and maybe helping him get some closure.
Relationships: Rachel Berry/Noah Puckerman
Kudos: 24





	I Hope

“Sam,” Rachel kept her voice low as she approached the blond boy at his locker. They hadn’t been close, for various reasons, but maybe this was a way they could become better friends.

“Hey, Rachel,” He gave her a somewhat limp and distracted smile. “What’s up?”

“I was wondering…would you sing with me?” Not the most confident opening but she didn’t have a connection with Sam the way she did with Noah. Puck, she reminded herself, he wants to be called Puck at school.

“Thought you an’ Puckerman were pretty tight with the duets,” Sam wasn’t running away at least.

“We are, and I love singing with him,” She nodded moving a bit closer so she wasn’t standing in the hallway traffic. “But…” She hesitated and took a deep breath.

“But?” He was looking at her as if she’d lost her mind. Unfortunately she was all too familiar with that expression (from various people).

“But the song I have in mind…I think you’d be better for it,” She admitted. “Puck is awesome, and he could do this but…for you and me, it might be more therapeutic.” Rachel grimaced slightly, “And also it would help us get to know each other.”

“We don’t know each other that well do we,” Sam said thoughtfully. “I’ve heard plenty about you.”

“Most people have,” She sighed. “None of it good.” She shrugged slightly, “Obnoxious is actually the nicest thing Quinn has ever said about me.”

He winced at the mention of the Cheerio’s name and nodded slowly. “Yeah…maybe this is a good idea.” Sam looked at her, “Probably better for me to figure a few things out for myself anyway. So what’s this song you think would be more suited to me than Puck?”

Rachel silently pulled the music and lyrics she’d transcribed from the radio and handed the sheets to him.

* * *

It had taken a couple weeks, they both had other obligations. Puck had ended up coming over a few times with Sam so he was in on the secret. No big deal really, he’d proven he knew how to keep his mouth shut, even when he’d be better off opening it.

But at least they had one supportive audience member. Rachel had also convinced Sam to be the one to tell Mr. Schue that they had a song for the club to hear. Every time she raised her hand Mr. Schue got that long-suffering condescending look on his face and she just knew he was trying to block her out of his mind. When she’d said as much to Sam he’d looked surprised but Puck had just nodded. Sam had paid closer attention the next time they were in Glee Club and his eyebrows had just about shot up off his forehead when he saw the same thing.

“Yeah, okay,” He’d nodded when she brought up him introducing them again. “He really doesn’t listen to you much does he?”

“He wants to win but he wants Glee to be a positive experience for everyone too. Which means everybody gets to sing or has a solo,” Rachel sighed. “I’m sorry but sometimes people need to lose, to know they can’t be good at everything.” She’d smirked as Puck had chuckled, “I don’t mean me.” Puck had started laughing outright and when she’d winked at Sam he’d gotten the joke too.

“You do tend to want to win every time,” Sam shrugged.

“But I know there are things I’m not good at, I can’t play guitar, my hands don’t stretch far enough for the chords,” She pointed out as an example. “Life isn’t fair. But Glee isn’t preparing us for that.”

“Participation trophies,” Puck added with a sneer and she nodded.

“You two are wildly competitive though,” Sam pointed out.

“Duh,” Puck smirked and Rachel laughed.

“But you’ll do it?”

“Yeah,” Sam agreed. “I’ll tell Schue.”

“Thanks.”

* * *

Puck had offered to play guitar as backup for Sam which had been awfully good of him. They hadn’t needed him to do it but he’d offered. Rachel had given him a kiss on the cheek as thanks and he’d wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tugged on her hair like he’d done the whole time they were dating. “So you interested in him,” He’d nodded towards the blond quarterback.

“No,” Rachel shook her head. “Just…trying to broaden my horizons you know? Make friends?” She translated at the blank look on Puck’s face.

“Oh, yeah, he’s a good one once you get to know him,” Puck agreed. “So you wanna go and get a veggie burger after school?”

“Veggie burger?” She tilted her head skeptically.

“Okay veggie for you, beef for me,” He’d smirked at her. “Maybe a movie after? Or we could just sit in my truck and make out.”

“Puck are you asking me out on a date?” It was a little hard to believe so the question had to be asked.

“Yeah,” He nodded. “So you could start calling me Noah again.”

“I’d like that,” Rachel nodded. “Both,” She clarified. “Date and Noah.”

“Cool,” He tugged her hair again as they entered the choir room. “Break a leg baby.”

She grinned her appreciation of the showbiz saying as she took her seat and he settled in next to her. Sam took a chair on Noah’s other side and grinned at them both.

Finally Schue had gotten everyone settled down and their vocal chords warmed up and Sam raised his hand. “Mr. Schue, I’ve got something I’d like the group to hear, if that’s cool.”

“Of course,” Always happy to hear from someone who wasn’t her, Mr. Schue gestured towards the empty space in front of the risers. His face changed as Rachel stood with Sam and she could almost hear the teacher’s groan of irritation. Of course, she couldn’t hear his because the rest of the club was doing the same thing, Noah and Artie excepted.

Sam’s jaw tightened in annoyance and she shrugged at him, “Just ignore them and relax. This is fun remember?”

“Yeah,” He took a deep breath and slung the guitar strap over his head. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Rachel teased with a smile and he chuckled in spite of himself.

“Okay so I’d never have thought of this if Rachel hadn’t shown me the song,” Sam gave her a smile. “But it’s a pretty cool duet. Probably heard it on the radio. But, as Rachel says, we sing it better.”

She couldn’t help the giggle that burst from her lips as he used one of her signature phrases and began to finger the chords of the guitar. A shared grin and they both sobered as the music swelled and subsided, marking the beginning of the song. She took a breath and began, simple and matter of fact, “ _I…_  
 _I hope she makes you smile_  
 _The way it made me smile_  
 _On the other end of a phone_  
 _In the middle of a highway driving alone…_ ”

Another breath and she looked at Finn, remembering all the times she’d thought he loved her only to find he’d been seeing Quinn, or using her for her talent, “ _Oh, baby I…_  
 _I hope you hear a song_  
 _That makes you sing along and gets you thinking 'bout her_  
 _Then the last several miles turns into a blur, yeah._ ”

A little more power behind her voice as she began the chorus, “ _I hope you both feel the sparks by the end of the drive_

_I hope you know she's the one by the end of the night_   
_I hope you never ever felt more free_   
_Tell your friends that you're so happy…_

_I hope she comes along and wrecks every one of your plans_   
_I hope you spend your last dime to put a rock on her hand_   
_I hope she's wilder than your wildest dreams_   
_She's everything you're ever gonna need…_

_And then I hope she cheats_

_Like you did on me_  
 _And then I hope she cheats_  
 _Like you did on me…_ ”

She smirked at Finn and deliberately dismissed him from her gaze to smile at Noah as Sam began Charlie Puth’s part of the song, “ _Yeah babe, I hope he_  
 _Shows up in a 2 AM pic from a friend_  
 _Hangin' on to a girl to just rub it in…_  
 _I hope you stay up all night all alone waiting by the phone_  
 _And then he calls…_ ”

Bitter and pained, Sam had honed his voice to a razor’s edge, every word hitting Quinn like the death of a thousand cuts, “ _And baby I…_  
 _I hope you work it out_  
 _Forgive and just about forget_  
 _Let him take you on a first date again_  
 _And when you lean in for a kiss…_ ”

Rachel took a breath and joined her voice with Sam’s for the chorus, “ _I hope you both feel the sparks by the end of the drive_  
 _I hope you know he's the one by the end of the night_  
 _I hope you never ever felt more free_  
 _Tell your friends that you're so happy…_

_I hope he comes along and wrecks every one of your plans_   
_I hope he spends his last dime to put a rock on her hand_   
_I hope he's wilder than your wildest dreams_   
_He's everything you're ever gonna need..._

_And then I hope he cheats_  
 _Like you did on me_  
 _And then I hope he cheats_  
 _Like you did on me…_ ”

Sam began the bridge alone, Rachel joining him on the second line, their voices ringing out, calling on karma to dole out the justice life practically guaranteed they wouldn’t get. “ _I hope it goes, comes all the way around…_  
 _I hope she makes you feel the same way_  
 _About her that I feel about you right now…_ ”

Hands away from the guitar, music dying so their voices stood stark and alone, acapella on the last repeat of the chorus, “ _I hope you both feel the sparks by the end of the drive_  
 _I hope you know she's the one by the end of the night_  
 _I hope you never ever felt more free_  
 _Tell your friends that you're so happy…_

 _I hope she comes along and wrecks every one of your plans_  
 _I hope you spend your last dime to put a rock on her hand_  
 _I hope she's wilder than your wildest dreams_  
 _She's everything you're ever gonna need_  
 _And then I hope she cheats_  
 _Like you did on me_  
 _And then I hope she cheats_  
 _Like you did on me…_ ”

Softer, angry and resigned, Rachel breathed the last line, “ _Like you did on me…_ ”

She gave Sam a smile and he grinned back at her, relieved in the stunned silence around them.

And then the mixture of applause and accusations began.

* * *

“I should have figured that Quinn would read more into Sam and I singing together than she did the lyrics of the song,” Rachel sighed as Noah wrapped his arm around her in his truck.

“Fuck her if she can’t take a joke, and Finn along with her,” Noah shrugged. “Santana’s making eyes at Sam. Quinn and Finn deserve each other.”

“You don’t think I’m trying to win over every guy in Glee do you?” She could take everyone else thinking she was some sort of musical tramp but not Noah.

“Nah,” He put the truck back in park and kissed her, lips soft and hard at the same time, demanding and hot and sending her up in flames. “Music’s how you work things out,” He said after he’d pulled his mouth away and left her gasping. “Sing duets with who ever you want, so long as I’m the only guy you want to kiss.”

“I can work with that,” Rachel smiled up at him. “You do know how to keep me…occupied.”

His laugh echoed through the cab of the truck as he shifted gears and started the drive to the diner.

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: So this came to me as I was listening to the radio and even though the song technically wasn’t out (or written) while Glee was on, it seemed perfect for this scenario.


End file.
